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Craft vs Obsidian

Craft and Obsidian are both note-taking & docs tools. Craft is aimed at freelancers and creators, while Obsidian is aimed at freelancers and developers. Obsidian costs less, from $5/mo versus $10/mo for Craft. Both have a free plan.

Craft

Beautiful native docs for Apple users

Obsidian

Local-first markdown knowledge base

PricingFreemium · $10Freemium · $5
Starting price$10/mo$5/mo
Free planYesYes
Free trial——
Built forFreelancers, CreatorsFreelancers, Developers, Creators
Platformsmacos, ios, windows, webmacos, windows, linux, ios, android
CountryHU · 2020CA · 2020
Rating——

Choose Craft if

Apple users wanting beautiful docs.

  • Beautiful design
  • Fast native
  • Publishing

Look elsewhere if: Database-heavy workflows.

Choose Obsidian if

Individuals, researchers and writers who want ownership, longevity and deep customization.

  • You own your files; works offline forever
  • Free for personal and commercial use
  • Unmatched extensibility through plugins

Look elsewhere if: Teams needing shared, collaborative documents or users who want a zero-setup tool.

Craft vs Obsidian pricing

Craft

  • Starter$01,500 blocks, 1 GB storage, 15 AI credits
  • Plus$10/mo$96/yr billed annually; unlimited blocks, 50 AI credits/mo
  • Family$18/mo$180/yr billed annually; up to 5 invited Plus accounts
  • Team$60/mo$600/yr billed annually; up to 10 invited Plus accounts

Obsidian

  • Free$0Full app, personal and commercial use
  • Sync$5/user/mo$4 billed annually; E2E encrypted sync
  • Publish$10/site/mo$8 billed annually; publish notes to web
  • Catalyst$25One-time supporter license, early access
  • Commercial$50/user/yearOptional license for organizations

Craft · Key features

  • Block-based docs
  • Backlinks
  • Daily notes and tasks
  • Publishing
  • AI assistant
  • Native apps

Cons

  • Apple-centric
  • Limited databases
  • Team features lighter

Obsidian · Key features

  • Local Markdown files with bidirectional links and backlinks panel
  • Graph view and Canvas for visual thinking
  • Bases: database-style views over notes (2025)
  • 2,000+ community plugins and themes
  • End-to-end encrypted Sync and one-click Publish
  • Daily notes, templates, search with operators, mobile apps

Cons

  • No real-time collaboration
  • Plugin quality varies; setup can rabbit-hole
  • Sync and Publish are paid add-ons

Craft vs Obsidian: FAQ

Which is cheaper, Craft or Obsidian?

Obsidian starts at $5/mo and Craft at $10/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.

Do Craft and Obsidian have a free plan?

Yes, both Craft and Obsidian have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.

Not sure yet?

Craft vs Obsidian (2026): Pricing and Features